In a stunning move, the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets have agreed to a blockbuster trade that will see several players change teams. According to reports from Shams Charania of The Athletic and Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Knicks plan to sign-and-trade Shake Milton to the Nets as part of the deal, while Mikal Bridges will be heading to New York.

As part of the trade, Milton will be receiving a three-year, $9 million contract, with only the first season guaranteed. In addition to Milton, the Knicks will also be including Mamadi Diakite in the deal, according to league sources.

The Knicks' motivation for adding salary to the trade was to avoid being hard-capped at the first tax apron. By aggregating salaries, the Knicks will instead be hard-capped at the second apron, giving them more flexibility.

In return, the Nets will be sending Keita Bates-Diop to the Knicks as part of the expanded deal. The inclusion of Bates-Diop fits into the minimum-salary exception, allowing the Knicks to avoid any trade restrictions.

Experts have analyzed the salary implications of the trade. Yossi Gozlan, a cap expert, explains that the Knicks can use Milton's Non-Bird rights to give him a $3.1 million salary for the 2024/25 season. They will also be partially guaranteeing Diakite's contract, currently non-guaranteed, to reach the necessary outgoing salary to match Bridges' cap hit.

Following the trade, Gozlan projects that the Knicks will have approximately $172 million in salary committed to 11 players. This leaves them with ample financial flexibility to use the taxpayer mid-level exception and potentially re-sign Precious Achiuwa, who is an unrestricted free agent.

The full details of the trade include the Knicks acquiring Mikal Bridges, Keita Bates-Diop, and a 2026 second-round pick. In return, the Nets will be receiving Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton (sign-and-trade), Mamadi Diakite, the Knicks' 2025 first-round pick, the Bucks' 2025 first-round pick (top-four protected), the Knicks' 2027 first-round pick, the Knicks' 2029 first-round pick, the Knicks' 2031 first-round pick, the right to swap a 2028 first-round pick for the Knicks' 2028 first-round pick, and the Nets' 2025 second-round pick.

As part of the trade, the Nets will create a $23.3 million trade exception by absorbing Bodganovic's salary into an existing trade exception worth $20.3 million. This allows them to acquire Bogdanovic via the preexisting trade exception without hitting the hard cap.

Shake Milton, 27, has been a productive bench player throughout his career, most recently appearing in four regular season games with the Knicks after joining them in early March. Mamadi Diakite, also 27, has had stints with multiple teams in the NBA, while Keita Bates-Diop, 28, has played for several teams during his seven-year tenure in the league.

The trade between the Knicks and Nets is set to shake up the landscape of both teams. It remains to be seen how the acquired players will fit into their new rosters, but the deal is expected to provide financial flexibility for the Knicks as they continue to build their roster.

Fans of both teams are eagerly awaiting the start of the new season to see how these changes will impact the Knicks and Nets' fortunes on the court.